


One More Troubled Soul

by secretfeanorian



Series: the worst things in life come free to us [19]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: (let's play guess which ones), Reunion, several characters feel painfully out of character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-24
Updated: 2014-08-24
Packaged: 2018-02-14 13:00:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2192715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretfeanorian/pseuds/secretfeanorian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maglor doesn't say anything, but inside his mind he whispers; Good to be back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One More Troubled Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the Author: Jane patting Maglor is not supposed to be me dissing her or trying to make her seem like an asshole/out of character. I pat people all the time instead of hugging them or anything and characters I’m nervous about writing often end up with one or more of my silly habits. Ugh. I’m sorry.
> 
> S – In the Silmarillion, Daeron is not Lúthien’s brother, but I prefer the version that (I think) is in one of the HoME books where he is. I have many reasons for this which I won’t bore you with, but Daeron and Lúthien are siblings.

_I don’t know where you’re going, but do you got room for one more troubled soul? I don’t know where I’m going, but I don’t think I’m coming home.  
_

* * *

Almost five weeks pass before Maglor is ready to go to the tower and when it does happen, it happens almost by accident. He’s sitting outside of a small café, humming quietly to himself when he hears someone call out “Maglor?” and he freezes.  
  
People continue walking past him after only a few sideways glances, but Maglor’s attention isn’t on them. Maglor’s attention is on the muscular blond coming straight towards him. He looks around for a moment as if looking for an escape route, but after only a few moments of doing that, he stops and stands instead and waits for Steve to reach him.  
  
When he does, the super soldier pulls him into a tight hug and doesn’t say anything. Hesitantly, Maglor reaches up to return the hug. He’s not sure what to think, but after a few minutes, Steve pulls back and first smiles at him, then launches into a tirade that encompasses “What the hell were you thinking?”, “We were worried about you”, “We thought you were never coming back” and “It’s good to see you.” When he finishes, he finishes with a deep breath and a sigh.  
  
Maglor tries to smile and doesn’t quite make it. “I’ve been in the city for a little over a month,” He says, “Working up the courage to come back. Guess I’m just not really ready to give up my secrets.”  
  
Steve looks at Maglor for a few minutes, then smiles a tiny bit tightly. “I guess you’re still not?”  
  
Maglor shrugs. “Don’t think I’d ever really be ready.” He says, “I probably would’ve waited too long and you’d all be dead.” He tries to laugh at that, but it’s really not funny at all, so no laugh comes out, bitter or otherwise.  
  
Steve looks sad for a moment, and then he asks, “You’re the last of your kind, right? The only immortal-”  
  
“No,” Maglor cuts him off, because the look in Steve’s eyes has begun to make his chest ache all the more. “There is one other elf left here. He’s one of the Sindar, though, and so we don’t exactly get along, me being one of the Noldorian exiles. But, those forgotten rivalries of forgotten peoples seem to matter a bit less when you are the only two left.” Maglor shrugs, ‘We meet up accidently every so often. Maybe we’re too different to get along permanently. Maybe we just think that’s the case. Maybe we don’t and we’re just too scared to try. Who knows?”  
  
The sad look in Steve’s eyes grows less prominent (although it doesn’t go away entirely) and he takes a deep breath before asking, “Are you going to come back to the tower now or wait a bit longer?”  
  
Maglor wants to say wait, but time is short and with mortals, it’s even shorter. And his previous reason still stands, so he shrugs and says “No time like the present.” Then he winces, but his point continues to stand.  
  
Steve watches him closely for a few seconds, but then he smiles. It’s a half-forced smile and Maglor knows what Steve is thinking.  
  
“I know about the press nightmare I’m going to have to deal with.” He says, then bites his lip, “Sort of.”  
  
“We can stall them for a week or so if you want.” Steve offers the option and Maglor smiles.  
  
“That sounds tempting, but staying away also sounded tempting. I’d kind of just like to get this over with. Though not today!” He adds the last sentence hurriedly and Steve laughs a little bit.  
  
“Of course not today,” He says. The laugh seemed a bit stressed, but all-in-all sincere.  
  
Maglor smiles faintly and then hugs Steve. “It’s good to see you Steve.”  
  
“And you,” Steve says and hugs Maglor back.

* * *

Maglor is greeted by Tony shouting “But science!” to Pepper when he enters the main floor of the Avengers Tower and enough relief just suddenly bubbles up inside him that he bursts out laughing.  
  
The six people currently in the room (Tony, Pepper, Sam, Clint, Bruce, and Bucky) all jerk their heads around (or change the direction their eyes are pointing in) in roughly the same minute and Sam is the first one who speaks.  
  
“Maglor!” He says, surprise clear in his tone and Maglor offers a nervously tight smile in response. Someones come hurrying into the room – someones being Thor, Jane and Darcy and Thor’s face lights up when he sees Maglor and he calls out “Macalaurë!”  
  
The first thing Maglor thinks to do is salute him off-handedly and almost without thinking about actually doing it, he does it. Within the next five seconds, Thor crosses the room and sweeps Maglor up into a bone-crashing hug. Maglor gasps, but doesn’t ask to be put down. (He can still get enough oxygen)  
  
Once Thor has put him down, Maglor sees that Natasha has come into the room and she smiles when she sees he’s looking at her. He smiles back and then she asks, “You know a man named Daeron?” Confused, Maglor nods. “He said you were alive and mopey.” She says and Maglor raises an eyebrow.  
  
“Did he now?” Without waiting for a response, he continues with: “Of course he did. That sounds like him.”  
  
“Is Daeron the other living elf?” Steve asks and Maglor nods.  
  
“He’s Thingol’s son. Lúthien’s brother.* Minstrel of Doriath. Sinda.” He says that mostly to Thor, but he isn’t the only one nodding in understanding. Maglor pauses at that, then mentally shrugs. It doesn’t really matter anyways.  
  
“Why’d you decide to come back?” Clint asks and Maglor shrugs again, physically this time.  
  
“An ancient statue of two long-dead rulers of a long-forgotten kingdom whose story was considered the romance of the era which is now lost to history resting in a city that had begun to fall into ruin before the statue was even placed there. Not much else left of the city. I wonder why it still stood intact. The statue, I mean. Combination of elven and dwarven crafting techniques I’d wager.”  
  
The only response Maglor gets to that is Tony blinking once and saying “What?”  
  
Maglor takes a deep breath and lets it out all at once. “I located what was left of Imladris and stayed for a fortnight. Still an excellent place for musing on important emblematic crossroads, even after being abandoned for so long.”  
  
“And…the statue?” Tony asks, voice hinting at curiosity.  
  
“Of Aragorn and Arwen, the first High King and Queen of the reunified kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor. They outlived the War of the Ring and married only a short time after the absolute defeat of Sauron the Deceiver. Arwen was the only daughter of the Lord of Imladris and Aragorn was raised in his household as his foster son from the age of two. Arwen was born from the line of the half-even and so by birthright, a choice was laid before her: mortality or immortality. She chose morality for love. They had 3 children: 2 daughters and a son. I suspect Elladan and Elrohir were involved in the creation and placing of the statue.”  
  
Maglor finishes and the pause that follows only lasts a few minutes before someone asks: “Did you know them?”  
  
Maglor shakes his head. “I never met Aragorn or Arwen-” He pauses, “or Elladan and Elrohir for that matter. But I did know their father, the Lord of Imladris.”  
  
“Who was he?” Bruce asks, but it is Thor who answers.  
  
“Elrond Half-elven,” He says  
  
Darcy holds up a finger. “I don’t remember most of what I’ve been told about your history, but isn’t he your foster son?”

Maglor nods. “One of them. His twin brother, Elros, chose the same path that Arwen did, though not, I believe, for the same reason.”  
  
Silence falls over the room and this time, it stays for a while and only ends with Jane reaching over and patting Maglor on the shoulder and saying “Good to have you back, Maglor.”  
  
Maglor smiles and while he doesn’t say anything, he thinks: _Good to be back_.


End file.
